Reviving The Balance

Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi, who died in 1888, had sought an answer to the challenge posed by modernisation and change to Islamic law, by introducing maslahah, which forms the basis of his philosophy of Islamic law. In a fascinating way, the author leads us step by step to what he considers the true import of Shatibi’s views concerning jurisprudence.

Remembrance and Prayer: The Way of Prophet Muhammad, was one of the first works of Shaykh al Ghazali’s to be translated into English. The book describes in vivid prose how the Prophet, upon him be peace, used to remember Allah and pray to Him. Not only are the exquisitely beautiful, deeply moving and penetrating words of the Prophet given in the English translation, but in the original Arabic as well, thus allowing those desirous of memorizing Arabic access to the original texts. The intimate relationship with Allah, which was the hallmark of the Prophet’s life, becomes clear and vivid. The book’s contents are immensely relevant. to the life and concerns of modern man, whose life has been made barren by the present secularist machinery.

This work constitutes a critical analysis of classical and modern aspects of the concept of istihsan (juristic preference), an important principle in Islamic legal legislation throughout history. Although there has been many research works on the subject, it still requires further investigation on the role and nature of istihsan with regard to a combination of classical and modern approaches. Consisting of four chapters, the author begins by introducing some general principles of Islamic law, before discussing the history of istihsan during the time of the Prophet and his Companions. He also analyses the validity of istihsan as a source of law and discusses the differences among scholars on its method of implementation.